Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1887-12-23

the gift
In those winters the December poetry was
sad ar dlrge. One little walf comes back
to memory:
''Only another sword
Dripping with human blood,
Only another drop,
Swelling the crimson food.
"only another tear
Wiped from the face OF time,
Only brother dear,
Lost in his manhood's primo.
"smoothly the garments fold
Over the silent breast,
only another soul
Gone TO the droamless rest"
The morning of December %, 1862, let
its light fall upon fifteen thousand of these
silent breasts $ at Chancellorsviile.
1t is by vivid contrast that good and Ill,
the beauty and ?formity, can be best meas
ured. Seen in tlis kind of luminous air the
present Chrstm rs stands forth Ikea white
angel upon a sunlit mountain top. Peace,
thought, industry, wider study of light,
a more rat onal religion have tolled togeth-
cr and have woven for this goddess of De-
cember richer robe and q more thornless
crown.
AS in this festivity ono can read the gen
eral condition of an age as to war and peace,
material prosperity and adversity, SO in its
form of happiness chosen by the indiTid-
uals may be read the progress or decline OF
personal worth. A holiday is always test
of character. The man of bad habits and of
weak will power passes without much honor
through this time of merry making He
doubles the quantity of his food and drink,
he ventures upon bet or two in the low
card room; and instead of doubling the
happiness of his wife and children or OF his
luic ha laQ hai at
and grief. 1t is said that the common Sun
day, which brings peace and rest to the
many, brings temptation and ruin to u few
of strong passion and weak self-controL
Laborers have often been paid only upon
Monday, that their wages might not be con-
nected with an idle day. 1t is painful re-
Election that such Christmas as the Amer
lean children and older hearts now possess,
"A Christmas rescued from war, pestilence,
kingcraft Puritanism and poverty---should
find many n man wholly unable TO appre-
ciate the lofty moral beauty of the day and
able to find in it only temptation to deeper
vice,
Not quite as unfortunate, but yet much to
be lamented, is the fact that many industri-
ous and honest people are too poor to cele-
brate this day as 1t should be marked by
every treside. When one sees small chill
dren attempting to make Christmas tree
out of little green bOugh not more than
| span long attempting TO ornament it by
tying to it some little pieces of colored
paper and pieces of broken glass, Their feet
| beng meanwhile almost shoeless, and their
| wretched home without fire, one can not
but wish that the angel of wealth would
come to each of these little onesin the night
before Christmas and put plenty of silver
| coin in each expectant stocking.
Tho podprp Chljstmag standing na IL
| does for the new intelligence and the new
| beneyolence of society, does not exhaust
| itself in what is called "a good time" but 1t
helps create better industry, better laws,
| better relations between master and serv-
ant. between capital and labor better lit
erature and a better religion Great news
papers and all the magazines publish Christ
mas numbers; tho churches have sermons
| and services full of this sympathy for mani
the schools, secular and religious, bring for
ward at this time allof thatm and lit
| erature which asserts the oneness of hui
manity. That day is the peoples day
Kings and presidents are placed down by
the fireside, and are fortunate IL they can
! point to the happiness which cheers tho
home of the thrifty mechanic or farmer or
| tradesman. 1t accompishes more for lib
| erty than does the Fourth of July, because
! the July holiday only celebrates the coming
| of n liberty which Christmas continues from
year to year to enlarge.
Charles Dickens helped make better De
cember for the English speaking race; but
the garlanded December had been long
working at the human heart, and thus it
helped make Charles Dickena 1t trained
its own workman as Liberty remed the
Washington who afterward defended her
Thus were in a circle the causes and the eff
fects in words Like Solomon's clouds
which condensed on the mountains and
running in streams to the sea formed again,
and as clouds sailed back to the mountains,
the amenities of the winter holiday pour
from the heart to the age and then return
from the age to the heart Thus progress
assumes the form of n circle and rolls for
ward like great wheel.
One hope Hlls all well-w'shing hearts
that, as the painters and sculptors struggle
after better and better designs and works
in their fields of thought, 30 the millions of
young Christmas-loyers will attempt to sep
arate their fcstal-duy from the cup that
stupedes, from the extravaganza that ruins
fortune and mind alike, and from the vanity
which forgets or despises the poor, and will
attempt TO make 1t the faithful emblem oi
free moral, educated and benevolent
nation DAVID SWING.
| -
"A Generous Husband are you
going to buy your wife for a Christmas
A. ..I.g-.